The Ask
Wakilni, a regional Lebanese logistics and services business, managed to grow in the dark times of the pandemic, when political and socio-economic turmoil struck the country. While the economy suffered, Wakilni expanded its operations, growing 100% in just one year between 2019 and 2020. To maintain the momentum, the company needed support to develop its business efficiently and improve its supply chain performance.
The Answer
Wakilni decided to apply for the Lebanon Enterprise and Employment Programme - LEEP, a UK aid support for SMEs. Once approved, LEEP assigned its business development support partner Saber Middle East to Wakilni's aid. Based on a thorough assessment, our team focused on optimizing their operations and standard procedures. Taking into consideration their exponential growth since 2019, the rising number of orders created operational bottlenecks, which led to the inefficient utilization of space, assets and resources.
We then worked on developing a Cross Docking strategy inside the warehouse: a logistics strategy where the carrier immediately unloads the cargo from an incoming container then loads it directly to an outbound carrier, also known as from dock to dock. By doing so, Wakilni managed to change the design and workflow of their operation and optimized the movement of their people and materials for an enhanced customer service experience.
The Results
Thanks to our business development sessions, Wakilni created new standard operating procedures that helped limit time-wasting, accelerate their product flow, allow efficient product consolidation, and achieve economies of scale with more frequent deliveries. In addition, they drafted all the SOPs for the warehousing functions, starting from receiving and cross-docking to storage and dispatch. Wakilni were also able to optimize their workflow and increase their operational and storage space for the parcels.
Following the coaching sessions, we recommended hiring more staff to handle receiving and coordination functions. By considering our recommendation, Wakilni not only improved their supply chain operations but also helped in creating more job opportunities in times when the country needed them the most.
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